


an assist

by beenomorph



Series: numbers [2]
Category: Borderlands (Video Games)
Genre: Shower Sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-28
Updated: 2019-10-28
Packaged: 2021-01-05 21:04:05
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,767
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21215057
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/beenomorph/pseuds/beenomorph
Summary: It was embarrassing, he thought, to be so distracted by such a small thing. He felt kind of like a young person with a crush-- at least, how he supposed a young person with a crush must feel, based on the media dramas he’d been watching with Rhys and Lorelai before leaving Promethea. He thought about the gentle way Fl4k's hands traced the paths of scars across his skin, and his chest fluttered. He thought about the way they'd held him down so effortlessly while they teased him and his stomach twisted with want.





	an assist

**Author's Note:**

> hi this is a direct sequel to [ my other fl4kzer0 fic ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/20783120)

'I will see you when you rise,' to the surprise of just about nobody, ended up being a bit less truthful than either Fl4k or Zer0 had anticipated.

In all truth, after the fact Zer0 had slept in far later than was characteristic-- such was only to be expected, considering he'd been just about fucked into a stupor the night before. When he arose; contented, well rested, and pleasantly sore, it was late into the theoretical morning--in fact, had they been on Promethea, it'd be well past noon. This, of course, had given the new gaggle of vault hunters time to get swept up in doing a favor for Wainwright back on Eden-6, leaving the ship quieter than normal by the time Zer0 was up.

By this, Zer0 was of course disappointed—he had hoped to _talk _to Fl4k about what had happened, as much as he knew that kind of conversation was not his strong suit, or at the very least make good on his previous offer for a rematch.

Whether he was referring purely towards their previous spar or to the sex that followed depended on Fl4k’s reaction, he supposed.

Said favor had ended up taking the better part of the week- after a day or so had passed, he found the most nonchalant way to ask Moxxi about the four of them, though her arched eyebrow and curved lips did little to set Zer0 at ease that his infatuation was at all hidden. As it were, the new vault hunters had been scouting out a few different locations for Wainwright and Alastair's upcoming wedding reception, the survey had (predictably) caught on a few snags, and was (predictably) taking longer than anyone had anticipated.

Were the circumstances different, Zer0 would have liked to accompany them- it'd been a while, he'd admit, since he had indulged in a bit of mindless violence- but he would begrudgingly admit that he had work to catch up on, that certainly would progress faster without the distraction that Fl4k had proven themselves to be.

Yes, Zer0 was vault hunting on the Sanctuary 3 and all, but he was technically still an Atlas employee, and despite everything, there was _still_ a war going on down on Promethea. From the Sanctuary, Zer0 was perfectly capable of collecting and analyzing intelligence reports and identifying key targets. It was light work, an easy task that shouldn't have taken Zer0 more than a few hours.

Said task had taken, well, the better part of a week.

It was exceptionally hard focusing on something so uninteresting as Naoko Katagawa's likelihood of overthrowing current Maliwan command and launching a counteroffensive against Atlas when he _could_ be thinking about much more interesting things, like the feeling of Fl4k's hand around his throat, or their thighs straddling his waist.

It was embarrassing, he thought, to be so distracted by such a small thing. He felt kind of like a young person with a crush-- at least, how he supposed a young person with a crush must feel, based on the media dramas he’d been watching with Rhys and Lorelai before leaving Promethea. He thought about the gentle way Fl4k's hands traced the paths of scars across his skin, and his chest fluttered. He thought about the way they'd held him down so effortlessly while they teased him and his stomach twisted with want.

Even now, as he stared intently at the charts of troop and supply movements he'd pinned up to the wall, his mind wasn't really there, entirely. Instead, it was drawn back to that night in the cargo bay, silent save for the sounds of their bodies against each other, and--

He was drawn from his thoughts with a jolt at the sound of someone entering his room, and he didn't realize he was moving to draw his blade until he turned, arm out, tip of his energy sword pressed into the fabric of Fl4k's coat.

"Oh," he said, simply, **_/// _**flashing over his mask as he lowered the blade a touch, blue light reflecting off Fl4k’s facial plating, "You... startled me."

"I wasn't trying to," Fl4k responded, though obviously amused, taking a moment to scan over the maps and charts Zer0 was surveying. "Am I distracting you from your work?" 

Zer0 snorted. "Any distraction from completing this paperwork is quite welcome," he started, and when his eyes finally trailed down Fl4k's form, the displayed emotion of **_:-> _**quickly changed to **_:-/. _**

Fl4k was utterly _filthy. _

Now, Zer0 wasn't completely unreasonable. He knew slogging around the swamps of Eden-6 meant picking up the swamp’s stink no matter how careful you were, and was no stranger himself to the filth that often went hand in hand with combat—he had perfected the art of cleaning blood from leather himself, thank you very much. But _this… _

The once faded gray-green fabric of Fl4k’s coat was now stained a muddy brown in its entirety, the monotony of brown only broken by the occasional splash of dark red blood—patches of Fl4k’s muddy coating were dry and cracked, while other patches were still damp and shiny, some still _actually dripping _into a cloudy puddle on the floor of Zer0’s quarters. Their ruined coat was sporting a few new tears, they were missing half a pantleg, and, curiously enough, the single shoe that they wore.

Raising his blade once more, Zer0 used the flat side of it to push aside the lapel of their coat, only confirming that the coat hadn’t protected Fl4k from the filth it endured at all—their plating was all gunked up, caked with mud and unidentified viscera. Beneath his mask, his expression was somewhere between disgusted and horribly endeared- if only by the fact that Fl4k’s first stop upon returning to the Sanctuary wasn’t a much-needed shower, but visiting Zer0.

Who was, in turn, pointing a sword at them? Funny how that works out sometimes.

“I got eaten by a saurian tyrant on return from the expedition,” Fl4k said, by means of explanation, gesturing down at their ruined clothes, “And cut myself from her belly, in favor of passing through the natural way.” Zer0 barely suppressed a shudder, mask flashing a displeased **_:[_**.

“I’m glad to see you in one piece, but you’re dripping onto my floor, Fl4k.” With a flourish, he sheathed his blade.

“It… appears as though I am,” Fl4k looked down then, almost sheepish, taking a half-step back- as if realizing only now that it was decidedly rude to drip blood and gore and god knows what else into someone else’s quarters. “Amara claimed ‘first dibs’ on using our facilities.”

He almost made a joke, then, about sirens and showers- remembering his time spent at the original Sanctuary, and how Maya was infamous for using up all the hot water at the raider’s HQ when cleaning off after a mission. He didn’t, though, the memory enough to make a momentary wave of emotion pass over him, equal parts fond and miserable.

“Feel free to use mine,” is what he said instead, gesturing towards a nondescript door in the corner of his room. “It’s on the small side, but has great water pressure.”

Fl4k hummed, obliging, shedding their ruined coat with little pretense. They squinted at the door as they did so, “I didn’t know there were private facilities here.”

It had taken a fair amount of odd jobs, planning, money, and just plain begging to convince Ellie to allow him to convert one of the unused storage rooms to a personal washroom—it was in a convenient enough location to route water and power through, and the privacy of his quarters on Promethea was a luxury with which he was loathe to part.

“It’s just been installed!” Zer0 hummed, gaze flicking from where he’d been staring at Fl4k’s newly-exposed plating and back to their face when they turned to reestablish eye contact. “It’s small, yes, but quite private…” he continued, clasping his hands together in front of him as his mask flashed a pleasant **_:). _**He took a moment to debate with himself on the finisher of his haiku, trying to figure out just how forward he wanted to be, “So, I could join you.” And his emoticon shifted slightly, now displaying **_;)._**

Fl4k squinted, tilting their head to the side a moment, considering. They seemed almost hesitant as they responded, simply, “…Why?”

“Why,” Zer0 parroted, thrown off-guard by the question.

“I am quite capable of cleaning myself,” they continued, and Zer0 felt very _very _extremely stupid. He turned a bit, feigning a cough as an excuse to draw his gaze away from the other, feeling heat rush to his face. So the cargo bay really _was _just a one-time thing, or, who knows, maybe it was just some kind of fever dream Zer0 had, or…

“Just… offering,” he sputtered, “We don’t have to, if you don’t want—I mean, last time we—” and oh, damn it all, he was out of syllables. Fl4k watched him flounder a second longer before their eye blew wide, recognition dawning on them.

“Oh,” they said, quietly before repeating, “_Oh. _Was that a proposition?”

“It was supposed to be one,” Zer0 choked, using all his self-control to avoid covering his face with his hands, “Admittedly, I could have been clearer…”

"No, I…" Fl4k started, then stopped. They shuffled a bit, awkward. "I misunderstood. I. Yes," another pause, "I would enjoy your company." Zer0 felt a wave of relief wash over him, and he strode over to the washroom door, sliding it open. Emboldened by their response, or perhaps hoping to minimize his own previous embarrassment, Zer0 flashed a quick **_;) _**as he beckoned the other to follow.

It was indeed a small room- it was originally a glorified closet, after all- with just enough room for the pair to stand together in the space not taken up by appliances.

The feeling was only amplified by the clutter—there weren’t too many surfaces in the room to begin with, and what surfaces there was were littered with unopened bottles of various kinds of designer soaps that came in the Atlas gift bags Rhys liked to send over from time to time. Zer0 wasn’t fond of scented soaps at all- neither did he like the idea of his cover being blown if he was upwind from a target and they caught a whiff of brown sugar and cinnamon.

Zer0 wasted no time, then, taking the bundled coat from Fl4k’s hands and placing it on the only clear counter space in the room, then turning to tug off their equally-ruined bandana.

“Do you have backups? These garments have a great deal of cleaning ahead.” Zer0 said, now tugging on their belt. He kept his hands busy, wanting nothing more than to touch every inch of Fl4k’s frame, to bury his fingers in their plating and tug at their wiring—but he thought it would be supremely unsexy to get someone off with your hands coated in grime, never mind the fact that the grime came from their own body.

“They could be mended,” Fl4k said, watching Zer0 undo the clasps on his belt, shifting the stained fabric over their hips, and Zer0 snorted.

“While that _is_ true, I do think it is a question of ‘could’ verses ‘should,’” he teased, setting their pants with the rest of their clothes, “It will take ages to rid the fabric of the stench of saurian.”

“Then I’m lucky I can disable my olfactory senses,” they responded, amusement tinting their voice.

“If only _I _were so lucky,” Zer0 responded, closing one hand around the rib-like curve of Fl4k’s frame over their chest, and they offered no protest as he tugged them into the shower stall.

“Are you…” Fl4k said, interrupted momentarily when Zer0 turned the water on, reaching around them for a brush, “Keeping all of this on?” they finished, incredulous, and Zer0 looked down at his own body for a moment, mask flashing a quick, **_?_**

His outfit was typically constructed of several layers, and he was currently dressed all the way down, the belts and holsters and armor pieces strapped on top of his sneaking suit abandoned in his room proper.

“It’s perfectly fine,” he responded, “My suit is waterproof, so you needn’t worry.”

“I wasn’t worried about damage to your suit,” Fl4k responded, relaxing as hot water washed over them, grime from the expedition rolling off of their frame. “That can’t be comfortable.” Zer0 doesn’t respond immediately, instead focusing on rinsing the worst of the dirt, and Fl4k ventured, “I have already seen part of you, after all.”

Zer0 hummed, working his fingers into a seam on Fl4k’s chest in a way that had them sighing, “I’m comfortable as I am now. You have seen as much as I’d like.” He tilted his head, **_:-> _**flashing between them, “…For now.”

“That’s fair,” Fl4k responded, voice a quiet murmur, eye sliding shut as Zer0 worked, meticulously cleaning the crevices and seams of their plating. Zer0 enjoyed it- not just the feeling of water running over his suit, or the fresh smell of cleaning solvent, but the actual action of rinsing away dirt and grime, scrubbing out caked-in bits of rock and mud and bone.

Current filth notwithstanding, Zer0 could tell it had been a while since Fl4k had deeply cleaned their frame, and he found satisfaction at making them glisten. He could tell Fl4k was enjoying it as well, they were more relaxed than Zer0 could ever recall seeing them, silent save for the occasional contented sigh or hum of approval.

It was only when Zer0’s hands trailed down south that they opened their eye again, gaze drifting down to where he rested his narrow hands on the skeletal protrusions of their hips. Zer0 made a curious hum in the back of his throat.

“This is different than I remember. Have you changed modifications?”

“I have,” Fl4k hummed, tilting their hips just so. Zer0 watched as their modesty panel retracted, fully revealing their new vaginal modification. “Would you prefer—”

“I have no preference,” Zer0 interrupted, tracing a finger along the length of Fl4k’s slit, “Though, I am curious. Why’d you change models?” He shifted his hand slightly, now using that finger to rub circles around Fl4k’s clit.

“It,” they started, leaning back against the wall to the shower stall, hips canting slightly. Zer0 responded in kind, sliding two fingers down either side of their clit, “It has been… I was curious. I wanted to…” they trailed off, and Zer0 heard the sound of their cooling fans straining against the steam-thick air of the washroom, “It is exceptionally difficult to focus on my response while you do that.”

“I know.” **_;) _**flashed cheekily over Zer0’s mask as he picked up his pace. Fl4k groaned, a sound touched by static, grinding their hips down against Zer0’s hand. “Continue. What is it that piqued your curiosity, then?”

Fl4k didn’t respond right away, instead focusing on matching the pace of their hips with the pace of Zer0’s hand- which, to their frustration, slowed at their hesitation. It was when Zer0 moved to pull his hand away entirely that they spoke up once more.

“You were,” they blurted, tension easing from their frame as Zer0 rewarded that with resuming his previous pace, “I’ve… had these modifications a long while, and enjoy their use, but rarely… Seek it out, with another. You changed that,” Zer0’s fingers slid wetly against their clit, water from the shower mixing with their own lubricant.

“So, this would be from before you fucked me into the cargo bay floor?” Zer0 drawled, voice low. He drew his other hand forward, then, tracing Fl4k’s entrance, satisfaction blooming in his chest at the way their cooling fans stuttered.

“Before,” they responded, “Far before. I tracked you, on Promethea. Watched you work.” They paused, gasping as Zer0 slid his fingers inside, other hand still keeping pace on their clit.

“I don’t recall this; I must not have noticed you. Color me impressed.” Zer0 says, sliding down onto his knees. Fl4k watched intently as he repositioned himself in the small space, giving himself better leverage to thrust his fingers into Fl4k. They shuddered, then, head lolling back against the shower wall, eye sliding shut once more. “Keep going.”

“I’ve seen a predator hunt its prey before,” they said, shuddering as Zer0 withdrew his fingers from inside of them. It was only a moment, though, before he replaced them—long enough for him to release the latch on the underside of his helmet, sliding the faceplate up enough to free his mouth—an action that didn’t draw Fl4k from their recollection. “This was…much the same, but different, as well. Fascinating, yes, but… exhilarating, in a way that—” they cut themselves off with a short groan, a burst of static, startled as Zer0 replaced the fingers around their clit with his own tongue. Their gaze shot down as they jolted, but Zer0 was positioned carefully enough that there wasn’t much to be seen around the obstruction of their body. He drew back, only just, enough to speak.

“Continue,” he said, and the sound of his voice without the normal filters of his mask was enough to send another shiver down Fl4k’s spine. He flattened his tongue against Fl4k for a moment before wrapping his lips around their clit, lavishing the oversensitive modification with his tongue. As if on autopilot, Fl4k’s hands curled around the back of his helmet, and Zer0 used his now-free hand to steady himself against their thigh.

"It was when you secured your prey," Fl4k said, strained, "That something changed. I could not stop thinking about how you--" they paused, grip tightening on Zer0's helmet as he curled his fingers inside them, "How you moved, with grace and power like that of Death herself. Incredible to observe. I could have assisted, but, then I would not have been able to keep watching you hunt--" they cried out, then, arching their back and tilting their hips to draw Zer0's fingers in deeper, "There!" 

Zer0 obliged, thrusting his fingers up towards that sweet spot, sucking hard on Fl4k's clit. They groaned, a quiet sound nearly lost underneath the sound of the water, body shuddering as their pleasure peaked, metal thighs tightening around Zer0's head tightly as the hands on his helmet pushed his face in closer. He would have to buff out any scratches left behind on his mask, but he couldn't say he minded the thought too much as his mind was too preoccupied with the current reality of Fl4k riding out their orgasm on his face.

After a moment, Zer0 slid his mask back into place, sliding come-slick fingers from inside Fl4k and replacing his tongue once more with his fingers. His movements were slow, languid, and he only pulled away when Fl4k drew their hips back just so, likely oversensitive. 

Zer0 stood back up, then, easily rinsing his hands and their thighs in the stream of water. 

"Just to make sure that I completely understood your story just now," Zer0 hummed, idly tracing the lines of Fl4k's plating as they stood together under the flow, "My being good at killing people is what made you so horny, then?"

“That's… one way to put it." Fl4k said, hands reaching out to rest on Zer0's hips. They drew him closer, something of an unexpected gesture, tilting forward from where they leaned heavily against the shower stall to rest their head on his shoulder. The stiffness melted from his frame after just a moment, and Zer0 found himself leaning against them, reciprocating, hands resting on their chest plate.

The pair stood like that for a moment, curled together under the water, and Zer0 found himself fleetingly wishing that they could just do _this _more. Zer0 isn’t sure if he would call their relationship particularly romantic, or intimate—besides the sex, that is, which is still a _very_ new development—but he found himself enjoying the quiet intimacy of _this_ moment, enjoying having Fl4k wrapped protectively around him as he listened to the sound of their cooling fans slow as their body relaxed.

Startled by the thought, or perhaps more aptly startled by just how _not _startled he was by the thought, Zer0 leaned away from Fl4k, then, reaching over to turn off the shower. Those were thoughts for another time, he decided, and he didn’t want to catch himself making presumptions about what Fl4k did or didn’t want from him, from this relationship they had.

“Do you not want reciprocation?” Fl4k hummed, not yet moving away from where they leaned against Zer0, rubbing gentle circles into his hips with their thumbs.

“Another time,” Zer0 murmured, “Let’s just say that you owe me one.” His mask flashed a quick **_:)_**, and Fl4k slowly disentangled themselves from Zer0, standing at their full height in the shower stall once more, “Let’s get you dried off.” Zer0 strode from the shower, then, procuring a towel from one of the small compartments in the room.

Fl4k took a moment, tilting their head curiously as they spent a moment scrutinizing him—Zer0 felt his heart rate tick up, certain that somehow Fl4k knew all about his mushy, muddled feelings—before they obliged, following Zer0 from the stall. Though Zer0 was damp himself, he threw the towel over Fl4k’s shoulders, not expecting them to catch his wrist with the motion.

Another beat of silence passed between them as they stood together, Fl4k’s hand caught Zer0’s wrist halfway through the action of wrapping the towel around their shoulders, so it hung halfway off, now, held in place only by the hand Zer0 still had free. He froze, confused, gaze travelling from the hand Fl4k had captured to their face, wondering what about the action had upset them. Instead, he found them squint-smiling down at him, head tilted once more.

“Zer0,” they said, voice soft in a way that Zer0 would never admit made his knees weak, “Thank you.”

They moved slowly, then, moving their hand up from Zer0s wrist to carefully entwine their fingers, giving Zer0 ample time to pull away, should the gesture prove too intimate. But Zer0…

Well, Zer0 kind of felt like his head was full of cotton. It was outrageous, he thought, to be so level-headed while jerking someone off, only to feel near faint when they held his hand.

“You…” Zer0 paused, steeling himself as he reciprocated the gesture, giving a gentle squeeze as he curled his fingers around Fl4k’s, thinking it lovely how perfectly their hands fit together, “You are quite welcome, Fl4k.”

Maybe he wasn’t being so presumptuous after all.


End file.
